Method of making covered containers



oct. 29, 1935.

D. H. ZELL kMETHOD oF MAKING COVERED CONTAINERS Filed March 4, 1935 E u :It O D 2, D18; lm

TTORNEN Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PAENT OFFICE METHOD F MAKING COVERED CONTAINERS Claims.

Y This invention relates to an improved method of making covered containers, and has for its principal object to simplify the production and improve the appearance of containers of the kind 5"shown in Patent No. 1,924,897, issued to me on August 29, 1933, in which the external surfaces of the container body are covered by an ornamental sheet of leather or other flexible material. To this end the new method consists in first assembling a sheet metal blank with the cover sheet, and securing the marginal edges of the cover sheet to the edges of said blank, and then bending said blank along spaced parallel lines to form opposite side and edge Walls of the container body, whereby said cover sheet is simultaneously tightly stretched over the surfaces of said walls and all wrinkles removed therefrom.

A further general object of the invention is to provide a method as above characterized which will materially expedite production of containers of this type with an appreciable reduction in manufacturing costs.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel method of making covered containers, as more particularly hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and subsequently defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein Ihave illustrated one physical embodiment of the several parts employed in the practice of my new method, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a plan view showing the metal blank for the container body superimposed upon the flexible cover.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the method of securing the marginal edges of the cover sheet.

to the metal blank. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the completed container body.

For purposes of illustration I have shown, in the accompanying drawing, a sheet metal blank 5 from which the case body of a savings bank of book shaped form, as shown in my issued patent above referred to, is produced. However, it will be understood, that insofar as the present invention is concerned, the invention is applicable to case or container structures of various other shapes, designed and intended for numerous different uses.

As herein shown, the blank is of rectangular form and adjacent one of its longitudinal edges the keeper lug 6 and anged metal strips 'l are secured to cooperate with parts carried by a door or 4closure for one end of the case, as described in said issued patent. Adjacent to its other longitudinal edge and the opposite end edges of said metal blank tongues 8 are struck therefrom to which a metal strip permanently closing one 5 end and the front edge of the case is adapted to be welded or otherwise secured. The parts 6, l and 8 project from the same'side of the metal plate or blank, the opposite side thereof being without projections of any kind. 10 The cover or facing sheet 9, of leather or other suitable flexible material, may be embossed or otherwise ornamented and is of somewhat greater dimensions than the metal blank 5. The latter is superimposed on the sheet 9, as seen in Fig. 1, 15 and the marginal edge portions l0 of the cover sheet are then turned inwardly over the edges of the metal blank. lAny suitable means may be employed to securely fix these edge portions of the cover to the metal sheet or blank. For this 20 purpose I preferably use the ornamental corner members il, of channel form, which are closely fitted over the cover sheet at the corners of the blank and are tightly clinched upon the meeting ends of the marginal portions4 I0 of said cover 25 sheet. The latter remains otherwise unattached to the face of the metal blank to which it is opposed. In the present instance I have shown one of the marginal portions l0 of greater width than the others to extend under the keeper 6 and 30 flanged metal strips l.

After thus assembling the metal blank 5 and the cover sheet 9, as shown in Fig. 2, the same are placed in a suitable machine and the blank 5 bent to form the opposite side walls I2 and the 35 rear concavo-convex wall I3 of the book form case body. In this operation the cover sheet 9 is tightly stretched over the exterior surfaces of said walls, thereby removing all wrinkles from the flexible cover sheet and causing the same "0 throughout its area to lie in smooth, uniformly close, contact with said wall surfaces. Thus a material saving in time and labor is effected and the perfectly finished and attractive appearance of the product, as seen in Fig. 3, is obtained.

'Ihe case or container is now completed by securing the metal strip to the tongues 8 and applying the door or closure, as described in my lssued patent. 50 From the above description it will be seen that by means of my new method the covering material is properly applied simultaneously with the formation of the body of the case or container and diiculties incident to the separate application 55 container having spaced side walls and a concavoof the covering, after the case body has been formed, are eliminated.

What I claim is:

1. The method of making a case or container body having an outer covering of. flexible material; which consists in first superimposing a bendable blank upon a cover sheet of flexible material, then applying a mechanical securing means to the edges of said blank and cover sheet to permanently secure said edges of the sheet to the blank, While the sheet remains otherwise unattached to the face of the blank, and then bending said blank at spaced points into the predetermined form of the case or container body, to thereby simultaneously stretch said exible cover sheet over the outer surfacesof the case body walls.

2. The method of making a case or container body having an outer covering of flexible material; which consists in rst superimposing a bendable blank upon a cover sheet of flexible material of greater dimensions than said blank, then turning the marginal edges of said sheet inwardly over the edges of said blank and securing the same thereto, and then bending said blank at spaced points into the predetermined form .of the case or container body, to thereby simultaneously tightly stretch-said flexible cover sheet over the outer surfaces of. the case body walls.

3. A method of making a book-form case or convex wall connecting corresponding edges of said side walls; which consists in first super- `vimposing a single rectangular sheet metal blank otherwise unattached to the face of the blank. and then bending said sheet metal blank at spaced points into book-form shape, to thereby simultaneously tightly stretch said ilexible cover sheet over the outer surfaces of said side walls 5 and concavo-convex connecting wall of the resultant case or container body.

4. The method of making a case or container body having spaced side walls and a concavoconvex Wall connecting corresponding edges of 10 said side walls; which consists in first superimposing a rectangular sheet metal blank upon a flexible cover sheet of greater dimensions than said blank, then turning the marginal edges of said cover sheet inwardly over the edges oi' said 1| blank, then applying fastening devices to the inturned edges of the cover sheet at `the corners of the blank, to secure the edges of the sheet to the blank while the sheet remains otherwise unattached to the face of the blank, and then )o bending said sheet metal blank between and along spaced parallel lines to form the case or container body and simultaneously tightly stretch said exible cover sheet over the outer surfaces oi said side walls and concavo-convex connecting g5 wall of the resultant case or container body.

5. A method of making a. book-form case or container which consists in superimposing a single sheet metal blank upon a cover sheet oi ilexible material, securing said cover sheet only at its marginal edges to the edges oi' the blank, and then bending said sheet metal blank between and along spaced parallel lines to form opposite side walls and a concavo-convex back Wall of the case, and thereby simultaneously stretching said exible cover sheet from the secured edges thereof over` the outer surfaces of said walls.

DAVID H. ZELL. 

